


through the warmth, through the cold

by wishuponanightsky



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Campfires, Cold Weather, Cuddling, Episode: s02e09 Remember Me, F/M, Idiots in Love, Missing Scene, Sharing A Tent, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28635585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishuponanightsky/pseuds/wishuponanightsky
Summary: Abby and Marcus share a tent on the way to TonDC.
Relationships: Abby Griffin/Marcus Kane
Comments: 15
Kudos: 32





	through the warmth, through the cold

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Dotan's _Home_.

They set up camp 10 miles from TonDC and lit a few fires so that everyone could get a chance to get warm. Abby settled comfortably in front of her own, the tent behind her providing some sort of shelter from the wild woods around them. She was on edge. Strung up, like the violin her father had gifted her when she’d been just a little girl. She always tightened the strings too much, and they would always snap. She’d almost blinded herself once, and her father had taken the instrument away. When she reflected back on her life, she knew this was the moment she’d learned that one had to be precise. Turn the screws enough, but not too much, or something would snap and people would get hurt. A few weeks later, she’d decided she wanted to be a doctor.

She was far from that little girl now. Worlds away. She was Chancellor Griffin, bearing the name of the man she’d killed and a title given to her by a man she’d spent her life hating.

Marcus had changed, though. They all had, but him most of all. Coming down to Earth had hardened most of their people. They’d learned how to hate, and mistrust, and even kill, in a surprisingly short amount of time. It had all started with the culling. It had been the spark luring every bad instinct these men and women had out into the open. But not Marcus. Instead, what had been driven out was his compassion. His ability to self-sacrifice. And, while they had been brought about by a desperate need to make his wrongs right, they were genuine. And Abby had grown attached to him.

He was a reminder of simpler times—the thought that the Ark had been quite simple to manoeuvre compared to Earth made her smile. If only they’d known. But more than that. He was the man who’d upheld her through their hardships. He’d been the one to find her when the Ark had shut down, and she could still remember how safe she’d felt, barely breathing, leaning against his chest, on the verge of death but held to this realm by his arms and his breath in her hair.

And even though he’d been the one to shocklash her, she couldn’t make herself resent him for it. Now that she was Chancellor, she saw how easy it was for her people to get riled up, and she understood that he’d needed to do it. For the greater good. She’d forgiven him.

But when she’d seen him arrive at the gate the day before, after he’d been held prisoner by Lexa for so long… that’s when she’d known. Something had irrevocably changed between them, and she’d seen it in his eyes, too. ‘I was afraid that I wouldn’t see you again’, she’d said, when all she wanted to do was take him in her arms to make sure he really was there. ‘I had those fears myself’, he’d replied. And she still wondered if he really knew what her fears had been.

‘I was afraid that I wouldn’t see you again.’ What she’d meant was ‘I thought I would never hear your voice again’. What she’d meant was ‘I never could have lived with myself if I knew I’d let you go, only for you to never come back’. What she’d meant was ‘I thought I was going to have to do this without you’.

And when it had all gone down, when she’d had to watch her daughter murder the boy she loved, listen to Raven’s screams, relinquish the control she’d convinced herself she had over the situation, he’d been there. He’d been there for her. He’d laid a hand on her arm and reassured her—as much as he could. It had saved her from crumbling too.

“Hey.” As if her thoughts had summoned him, Marcus appeared at her side. “We have to talk about Jaha,” he said as he sat down. Ah. He wasn’t there for pleasantries. Abby was ready for their conversation, though. She was perfectly confident about her decision. Jaha had had a crazy look in his eyes ever since he’d come down from the Ark, and she’d known him long enough to know what it was about. He felt he had to save them all. Worse than that, he thought he could. But his methods were not appropriate for the world they’d found. “You can’t keep him locked up forever.”

“Maybe I should shocklash him,” she joked. If Marcus had come, she might as well humour him.

“No, I was going to suggest a pardon.”

Abby smiled. Of course he would. His newfound altruism, mixed with the admiration he had for Jaha? Of course he would want the man to be pardoned. But he hadn’t been there. He hadn’t seen him order Miller and Byrne to take Abby away, he hadn’t heard the venom in his voice. Abby was starting to think he could be a serious threat. But Marcus wouldn’t understand that until he saw it with his own eyes.

She looked away, her eyes falling on her daughter. Clarke had her back turned to Abby, and she couldn’t tell whether she was sleeping or not. She hoped she was. She’d just lived through a traumatic event, and her brain would need all the rest it could get if she wanted to get better.

“Clarke’s a survivor,” Marcus said. He must have followed her gaze. “She’ll get through this too.”

He laid a hand on her thigh and squeezed a little, probably aiming for a reassuring gesture. Her head snapped towards him.

She roamed his face with her eyes, the warmth of his hand on her leg burning through her more than any fire could.

“Yes, she will,” she finally sighed, turning her eyes back to the fire. Her daughter was strong. Stronger than her. Maybe even stronger than her father. “The question is, will we?”

Marcus’ hand retreated from her thigh and she bit back a whine. His hands on her never failed to make her feel alive. And right now, she needed it desperately.

He didn’t have any more answers than she did, so he remained silent. One after the other, their companions settled in for the night, some beside their fire and some retreating into the tents.

“You should probably get some sleep,” Marcus said after a while. “Big day tomorrow.”

“Every day is a big day, Marcus,” she sighed. But he was right, she was exhausted. She stood up and made her way into the tent, settling as best she could. At least there was a blanket. She unfolded it and curled up underneath it. The ground under the polyester was surprisingly soft, even though it was damp and freezing cold. It would have to do. She hoped she wouldn’t catch a cold during the night.

Minutes passed and she tossed and turned, unable to warm up enough to fall asleep. Sighing, she gave up and opened her eyes. Her groggy gaze fell on Marcus, still sitting by the fire, the flames creating shadows on his face. He was beautiful, really. She’d always been aware of it, but his character had usually been enough to make up for it. Now… now she wasn’t sure of anything, except that there were feelings blooming in her chest that she wasn’t ready to address.

“You should sleep, too, you know,” she said. She knew he would spend the night mulling over diplomatic strategies if she didn’t force him to lay down.

“I will.” His tone was dismissive, which meant she was right. He had a lot on his mind.

“What? There?”

She sat up and leaned forward so that her face poked out of the tent. He looked at her with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

“Where else?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she replied. She understood him, though. The warmth of the fire was preferable to the humid tent, but it was also less safe, and less comfortable. “Come here, there’s plenty of room.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes.

“You’re not going to give up, are you?”

“No.” She offered him his brightest smile. “You need a good night’s sleep, just like the rest of us. And I’m pretty sure there’s a patch of moss on your side of the tent which would make a great pillow.”

“Alright. Move over.”

He’s given in pretty easily, she thought. Good for him. And good for her—maybe the presence of another body would make the tent a bit warmer.

She lied back down, facing the wall of the tent, and he followed suit, slipping under the blanket but keeping a safe distance from her. She groaned internally. They’d never warm each other up from so far away, and she was starting to get seriously cold.

After a few minutes of miserably failing to fall asleep, she turned around to face him and found him staring at her. Her breath caught in her throat and she revised her previous statement. They were, in fact, very close. So close she could feel his breath on her face. Their eyes met and she could feel her heart start racing.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered. Her eyes flickered to his lips, slightly puckered in interrogation, and back to his eyes. He noticed.

“Aren’t you cold?” she replied. She saw him look down at her lips too, and could have sworn he leaned forward. She swallowed hard.

“No, I’m fine,” he lied as a shiver shook him.

“I think we should make use of there being two of us,” Abby said, glad that they were whispering. She was sure her vocal cords would have betrayed her otherwise.

He didn’t reply immediately, but she felt him shift closer to her, and she did the same, until their legs were pressed together and their chests were almost touching.

“Abby, I-”

“Just hold me, Marcus.” When she saw that he was still hesitating, she added: “That’s an order from your chancellor.”

She saw him smile, the fire still providing enough light for them to see each other. He shifted even closer and nudged her legs with one of his. When she understood what he was trying to do, a furious blush crept up her cheeks, but she still gave him space to push one leg between hers, and she hooked her own around his hip. They were now very much entangled, and the mere thought of it, fanned by the pressure of his thigh against her centre, was setting her body on fire.

“You’re…” she started, but she found no words to address what she wanted to say.

“Good at warming you up?” he asked, his voice low and husky, which definitely didn’t help her find back her countenance. She shook her head disapprovingly but he wasn’t wrong. She definitely wasn’t cold anymore. “What do you say, doctor? What are the guidelines?”

He was manipulating her, and she knew it, but damn her if it wasn’t working.

“Well, there are no medical guidelines on how to stay warm during a camping trip.” He gave her a look. That wasn’t the answer he was looking for. Her throat was tight and she suppressed the urge to roll her hips against his thigh. Her brain was foggy with arousal. “But the fastest way to warm up cold muscles is movement and friction.”

She realised what she said a second too late and barely held back a moan when his leg started moving between hers, pushing up into her core and rubbing against her. Her eyes closed instantly and she couldn’t resist slightly rolling her hips, the friction of his body against hers sending sparks of pleasure up her spine.

“Like that?” he asked. He sounded just as out of breath as she felt, and she forced her eyes open. She wanted to  _ see _ . His mouth was slack and his eyes were so dark she thought they might swallow her whole. A wave of heat captured her insides and turned them to jelly. He looked absolutely devastating.

“Who’s in there?”

The sudden voice coming from right outside their tent caused them to jump apart, and Abby looked at Marcus with panicked eyes. If she tried to speak, the whole camp would come to realise what had been happening. She heard him chuckle, and then:

“This is Chancellor Griffin and Councillor Kane. Is everything alright?”

“Yes. I’m just checking we have everyone.” Abby identified Indra’s voice, which did not relax her one bit. Thankfully, the Grounder left without another word, and Abby let out a shaky breath.

The tent was plunged in silence, and she didn’t dare look at Marcus. She didn’t know what would happen now, but she was not ready to acknowledge what had happened. Besides, Indra had completely ruined her mood—which was probably for the better.

“Come here, Abby.”

“Marcus…”

“Come here.” She silently obeyed, turning on her side and shifting closer to him. Her heart was still thundering in her chest and she prayed he couldn’t hear it. She searched his face, tried to read his emotions, but he only gave her a small smile and jutted his chin at her. “Turn around.”

She did as she was told, smiling at the irony of the situation. She was obeying Marcus Kane’s orders so they could be comfortable sharing a tent.

Once she had her back turned to him, he arranged the blanket so it covered both of them and scooted closer to her, his chest against her back and his left leg hooked above both of hers. His left arm came to rest on her belly and she grabbed his hand with both of his. She was suddenly surrounded by warmth and she let out a slow breath. She could feel her muscles instantly relaxing, and it felt so good. She realised, once again, how tired she was.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Good night, Abby.”

Right before she drifted off to sleep, she could have sworn she felt him lay a kiss in her hair, and she smiled happily.


End file.
